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Garmin "Curvy Road" Operation

B

bobs_one

Member
I have a Nav V with all the latest updates to the maps and software. Normally, I use the GPS in "Faster Time" Navigation Calculation mode. Today, I left Waterloo Ontario and was heading back to my home in Toronto. I started taking a couple of back roads that I know, rather than taking the highway, and the GPS indicated the distance to my destination as 122 kilometers.

As the GPS wanted to route me to the highway(s), I decided to change the calculation mode to "Curvy Roads" and have it recalculate. It took the GPS a couple of minutes and when it finally had the calculation done, it indicated a distance to home of 2,192 kilometers!

I figured this had to be some kind of error, so I flipped the calculation mode back to Faster Time and recalculated (122 kilometers again) and then changed it to Curvy roads and let it recalculate and it was 2,192 Kilometers again.

What's up? Am I doing something wrong?
 
Where does the route take you? Half that distance would reach Tulsa, Oklahoma, or the eastern tip of Nova Scotia.
 
The Garmin 590/595 have the ability to see a map of the route as well. I'd look at that. It might be interesting.

The coding in the Garmin Curvy Road option does not seem to be that great in comparison with TomTom's. I know of a wonderful curvy, hilly country road between my place and a little town called Duval. It's a motorcyclist's delight. TomTom's equivalent routing will take me on that. Garmin's routing wants to take me on a lot of residential side streets.

I have two Garmin GPS's. Both want to take me on a side jaunt to Eastern Washington over the Cascade Mountains to just go north to Mt. Baker. It's only about a 300 mile side trip...

Chris
 
Curvy Roads

I was riding in the Kawartha's a couple weekends ago and pressed go home on my Nav VI. ETA seemed about right. But, what I had not at first realized is that it was for the next day! It wanted to take me up to North Bay and then back around to get to just north of Toronto (Woodbridge, home). It took me a few kms heading North East, when I live South West, to realize. I pushed the X and went old school and kept the sun pointed at my right shoulder and found my way home. The curvy roads feature usually works, but sometimes those curvy roads are further than we're willing to go, eh?!:)





bobs_one said:
I have a Nav V with all the latest updates to the maps and software. Normally, I use the GPS in "Faster Time" Navigation Calculation mode. Today, I left Waterloo Ontario and was heading back to my home in Toronto. I started taking a couple of back roads that I know, rather than taking the highway, and the GPS indicated the distance to my destination as 122 kilometers.

As the GPS wanted to route me to the highway(s), I decided to change the calculation mode to "Curvy Roads" and have it recalculate. It took the GPS a couple of minutes and when it finally had the calculation done, it indicated a distance to home of 2,192 kilometers!

I figured this had to be some kind of error, so I flipped the calculation mode back to Faster Time and recalculated (122 kilometers again) and then changed it to Curvy roads and let it recalculate and it was 2,192 Kilometers again.

What's up? Am I doing something wrong?
Click to expand...
 
Garmin Response

So, I emailed the question to Garmin. This is their "helpful" response:

Hello Bob,

Depending on your navigation settings and the specific area you are routing to and from a route calculated on curvy road can be drastically longer than if you use one of the direct routing options.

The curvy road feature will avoid most major roadways and seek out roads that have curves and go through scenic areas. It would be normal for it to add a significant length to a route.



Thank you for choosing Garmin,​


Not really very helpful. Interestingly, when I try the same thing in Basecamp, the "curvy road" routing is just few kilometers longer than the fastest time route. It's obviously an issue with the Software in the GPS.
 
I've tried several times to use the curvy road feature on my Nav V. Never again.

If it can't easily find a reasonable curvy road nearby, it will route you through housing developments and other extraneous roads.

Ex: Heading West to Syracuse, NY once, I was on a two lane going 55 leading three other friends. It told me to turn left onto a side road which looked like it would follow a river; "That's good" I thought. It headed us into a small housing development with about 6 stop signs and short cross-roads only to loop right back onto the two lane.
 
craigjv4 said:
I...If it can't easily find a reasonable curvy road nearby, it will route you through housing developments and other extraneous roads...
Click to expand...
That was my experience on a couple occasions. There's a wonderful winding road out in the country nearby. It's tucked next to some hillsides overlooking a valley with fields, a river, etc. The TomTom GPS app on my phone routes me on that road. The Garmin GPS wants to take me through residential streets to get the requisite curviness to the route, complete with stop signs, speed bumps and a 25 mph speed limit.
 
daboo said:
That was my experience on a couple occasions. There's a wonderful winding road out in the country nearby. It's tucked next to some hillsides overlooking a valley with fields, a river, etc. The TomTom GPS app on my phone routes me on that road. The Garmin GPS wants to take me through residential streets to get the requisite curviness to the route, complete with stop signs, speed bumps and a 25 mph speed limit.
Click to expand...

I would think that using the option which doesn't work is more or less futile. Why bother?
 
Using it twice on routes you know as an experiment, is how you find out it isn't worth pursuing further.

Seeing how it can work wonderfully on a competitor's GPS app, shows you that it is possible with the right programming.

PGlaves said:
I would think that using the option which doesn't work is more or less futile. Why bother?
Click to expand...
I'm curious...how would you propose knowing the option didn't work without trying it and giving it a couple tries?
 
I had highways and Interstates in the avoidance list. Then I selected curvy roads. Wow! It worked perfectly , I mean ONLY curvy roads...but a loooooong way home.

/Guenther
 
Guenther said:
I had highways and Interstates in the avoidance list. Then I selected curvy roads. Wow! It worked perfectly , I mean ONLY curvy roads...but a loooooong way home.

/Guenther
Click to expand...

Yes that is the way to make curvy roads work. I use the curvy road option in Basecamp almost the same way, avoid interstates and residential streets. That last one helps to avoid getting stuck on local streets. It is however not available as an option in the Nav V. I must say I leave the Nav on the default shortest route and no avoidance and recalculation off.
The newer Garmins now have adventurous routing. I wish that was available in the Nav instead of curvy roads.
 
patm said:
The newer Garmins now have adventurous routing. I wish that was available in the Nav instead of curvy roads.
Click to expand...
'


No you don't. The adventurous routing is a complete disaster on the Garmin, creating ridiculous routes that go so far out of the way it's pathetic.
 
zimmermanj said:
'


No you don't. The adventurous routing is a complete disaster on the Garmin, creating ridiculous routes that go so far out of the way it's pathetic.
Click to expand...

But...but...that’s precisely the sort of routing an adventurous rider would want! :dance

Best,
DG
 
zimmermanj said:
'


No you don't. The adventurous routing is a complete disaster on the Garmin, creating ridiculous routes that go so far out of the way it's pathetic.
Click to expand...
As with everything regarding gps devices and apps, it all depends on many factors, including where you are.
 
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